Gagen Blog

In our hyperconnected world, it can feel like we’re plugged-in and on-the-go around the clock. Like many of us, I keep a busy schedule and it’s easy to feel worn out. When I feel this burnout occurring, I loop back to an insight based not only on my own experience, but scores of research over the years: happiness doesn’t come from our circumstances, but rather how we choose to view our circumstances. Happiness is a mindset and a choice.

We’re approaching the season when many large organizations begin an annual ritual intended to produce big ideas for the year ahead. Yet strategic planning often gets hampered by budget constraints, legacy templates and insularity, to name a few obstacles. If these sound familiar to you, you’re not alone.

This year, we are celebrating Gagen MacDonald’s 20th anniversary (I couldn’t be more proud!). Our firm was founded on a passion for helping companies around the world unleash the power of their employees and overcome the human struggle of change. Marking this milestone has inspired me to reflect on what has kept the dream alive. As we celebrate, I wanted to take this opportunity to divulge our Silent Partner with you.

Many senior leaders face this dilemma: They understand the success of business transformation hinges on effective internal communications. They understand employees want and expect to trust their company’s leaders. But they also understand that trust is not automatic, particularly in times of nonstop change. So how to bridge the gap quickly, given the speed of change and velocity of information flow reaching employees each day?

In an era of non-stop business transformation, many organizations are meeting the challenge by improving processes, more strategically utilizing their internal HR talent, and creating an employee experience that serves as a competitive advantage in the war for talent. So much simultaneous change can result in a holistic strategy to update HR systems and approaches…

Every day, targeted marketing leverages an individual’s tendencies and preferences to impact behavior. Most people would admit to being influenced to buy something they didn’t really need or try something they didn’t really want. In a world transformed by data analytics and behavioral economics, how can organizations use that information responsibly to effect culture change,…

Gagen MacDonald had the privilege of sponsoring The Conference Board’s 16th annual conference on Change & Transformation in New York City on June 14–15. The following key takeaways are from our founder and CEO, Maril MacDonald. Her original post can be found here. For those of us who spend our days trying to drive transformation…

Gagen MacDonald Senior Consultant Greg Voeller has been elected to serve as vice president of the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP®). This new role, marking the beginning of his second three-year term on the Board of Directors, will be focused on building global communities of practice for the association. As a nonprofit professional association dedicated…

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) awarded DuPont the distinguished 2018 Silver Anvil Award for Best in Internal Communications for DuPont’s “Countdown to Day One: Creating DowDuPont”. Following DuPont’s announcement that it would merge with The Dow Chemical Company and subsequently divide into three independent companies, DuPont partnered with Gagen MacDonald and Think Marketing to…

Will unplugged front-line employees actually read your cleverly worded email? And could your catchy cafeteria flyer escape notice by the team with its own break room? Careful audience analysis can help you humanize and understand your employees, leading to more effective communication and, ultimately, improved employee engagement. Most employees are exposed to up to 10,000…